Officials at Lawrence Livermore and Sandia California national laboratories have debuted a pair of hydrogen-powered shuttle buses.
This article from Patch.com says the Ford E-450, nine-passenger vans will be tested as they shuttle people around the two campuses:
The demonstration will test how well the hydrogen-powered vans and their fueling stations stand up to the normal wear and tear.
They will replace conventional diesel fuel-burning taxis resulting in roughly a 50 percent reduction in emissions of carbon dioxide, a gas closely linked with global warning, said Leonard Klebanoff, Ph.D., a principle member of the Sandia California lab in an interview.
The arrival of the shuttles provided an opportunity for LLNL and Sandia lab officials to educate the public about the safety and environmental advantages of hydrogen as a fuel, he noted. Public outreach will involve Las Positas College and area high schools and elementary schools.
“This is a celebration of our hydrogen technology programs,” Klebanoff said.
The alternative fuel technologies powering the vans did not originate at LLNL and Sandia, however. Ford Motor Company in Detroit modified its internal combustion engine and added a special hydrogen tank pressurized to 5000 psi for gas storage at room temperature.
Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., is providing hydrogen gas fuel. It also built and installed hydrogen fueling stations at the LLNL and Sandia campuses.
The vans will be able to run 150 miles between refuelings. Of course, the only emission from the burning of hydrogen is water.